The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1887-01-23
NOT ALL HONEY!
A Little Gall and Norwood
for the Loyal League.
THE EDMUNDs-TUCKER BILL.
How the Able Eastern Journals View
the Greatest Piece of RascaIity
Ever Perpetrated.
WASHINGTON, D. c., Jan. II, 1887

WASHINGTON, D. c., Jan. II, 1887.
From our own Correspondent. IN
Except in certain rabid anti-Mormon
quarters, the passage of the Edmunds-
Tucker bill by the House, on Wednes
day last, is conceded by all the great
newspapers of the country as a very
extraordinary piece of legislation that
applies rather a severe strain 10 the
Constitution. The manner in which the
bill was yailroaded through, the gag
rule" under which twas discussed, does
not say verytmuch forAthe men who are
honored with seats in the lower house
of the National Legislature. None but
Mormon measure could have passed
in any such manner. 1t was simply the
prejudice that exists upon the subject
that influenced the members of the
House to whoop and hurrah the bill
through as they did: They had given
it no consideration. Notone ID twenty
ignorant of its contents until it
was read from the clerks desk, and
even when it was thus read, in
the midst of so much confusion and
noise, little or no idea could be gained
as to its real purport. 1t seemed to be
sufficient to the3bulk of the members of
the House that a bill upon the subject
of Mormonism had been reported BY
the committee on judiciary. To the
Judgment of that body they were con-
tent to leave the whole matter. 1t was
only a Mormon measure, reasoned
many, and nothing could be too bad in
that direction. The country, they felt
certain, would sanction or endorse any,
kind of bill that had for its object the
| destruction of Mormonism, no matter
how unrepublcan and unconStitu tional
such bill might be.
Since the passage of the bill, how
ever, there has not been given by the
press of the country the endorsement
that was expected by the trainers of
the bill. On the contrary the press
has rather denounced the bill than
otherwise, and in this connection may
mention that almost every member of
| the press gallery isloud in his denunci-
atom of the measure, characterizing il
as the most shameless piece of legisla-
ton that was ever passed by either
House of Congress. The members of
the press were present in full
force during the debate upon the
bill, and one would have thought
that next day-judging from the past
the papers throughout the country
would have contained long specials up
on the subject gloe ting over what now
appeared the certain destruction of
Mormonism and glittering with head
lines of the most sensational character.
Such, however, was not the case, so far
as the matter has come under my OBJ
servation. The great metropolitan
papers treated the subject in a very
ordinary way, and editorially most of
the papers look upon the bill, though it
seeks to destroy polygamy, as laying
namely, the annulment of all Territorial
acts authorizing the incorporation of
societies or associations connected with
the Mormon Church and directs their
| dissolution by the Acknowledgement.
Everybody" says the New York World
editOrially, desires that the twin relic
Of barbarism, polygamy, shall be de
stroyed. The Republicans pledged
themselves to its eradication in 1856,
more than thirty years ago. Although
they held power for nearly quarter of
q century Mormonism still hourishes.
1t is left for the Democrats to do the
work which the Republicans have
neglected, and it is their duty to per-
form it resolutely and effectively. But in
SO doing they should place as little strain
as possible on the Constitution. That
instrument seeks to sacredly guard
against any interference by Congress
with an establishment of religion or
prohibiting the free exercise thereof
Even the extinction of Mormonism
would not pay for the impairing of this
great bulwark OF liberty, the Vindication
OF the freedom of conscience. 1t would
seem that laws might be framed by
statesmen that would effectually do this
work without taking the risk of the
slightest infringement OF one of the safe
guards of public liberty and equal
rights - q "A
The above may be said to be fair
samplesof the disfavoF and distrust with
which the passage OF the EdmuEds-
Tucker Dill is looked upon by IN orejudi-
cedminds and in this manner q reaction
may. be said to have set in upon the
whole subject. Men who have hereto
fore been very rabid in their denuncia
ton ofeveTyt ingMormon are beginning
under the guise of putting down polYg-
amy,extraordinary and,palpabiyuncon-
stitutional measures are sought to be
adopted to attain the required end
measures By which the & innocent
are made to suffer equally with
the guilty, and by which precedents are
sought to be laid down that must
inevitably impair the bulwark of Lib
erty" and the freedom of conscience.
Correspondents who have always
thought it the correct thing to attack
Mormonism whenever an opportunity
presented itself-and in so doing
thought they were supplying news, and
pandering to public taste h a4esno
felt inclined to follow the same policy
in regard to the passage of the Ed
munds-Tucker bill. l have talked
within the last few days. with many
able newspaper corSesp ondentsr u aaI1s
IBIS subject, and. every one OF than |.
Without an exdaptonktR expressed.
tfn lsnguagssn1SFe 1oFcibie than pofifes.
4 MNaaW-